If you’ve got European roots, “citizenship by descent” sounds like the ultimate travel hack: skip the residency grind, avoid the golden-visa price tag, and unlock the right to live and work across the EU.
And sometimes… that’s exactly what it is.
But here’s the reality in 2026: citizenship-by-descent (CBD) is less like a hack and more like a compliance project. The countries that used to feel “open” are tightening definitions. The countries that were already strict are staying strict. And the biggest risk is the one nobody tells you about:
You can be 100% eligible and still lose years to paperwork, queues, and missing documents.
So let’s break this down the way we do it in The Passport: not vibes, not TikTok optimism—realistic pathways, real bottlenecks, and what changed heading into 2026.
First, what “citizenship by descent” actually means
Citizenship by descent is the legal process of claiming nationality based on an ancestor—usually a parent or grandparent, sometimes further back—who was a citizen of that country.
Two details matter more than anything:
Transmission rules (who can pass citizenship, and when).
Birth in/out of wedlock, maternal vs. paternal lines, naturalization dates, military service rules, renunciation… this is where people get surprised.Proof rules (what documents you need and how “perfect” they must be).
A typo in a name, a missing marriage record, or a document that isn’t apostilled/translated the right way can stall you for months.
Now, here’s what’s changed in the “easy vs. hard” landscape as we go into 2026.
The “Easiest” EU Countries… in 2026 terms
Let me be precise: “easiest” does not mean “fast.” It means the legal pathway is achievable for more people, and you’re not usually required to live in-country or pass a language exam just to claim what your family line already grants.
1) Ireland (still one of the most straightforward)
If you’ve got an Irish-born grandparent, Ireland remains one of the cleanest CBD processes through the Foreign Births Register.
Why it’s still “easy”:
Clear generational limit (grandparent level is common).
Generally a predictable application pathway compared to the more chaotic systems.
The 2026 reality check:
Processing times can fluctuate with demand (and demand surges when immigration headlines surge). Keep expectations flexible and document early.
Best for:
People who can prove lineage cleanly (full certificates, consistent names, minimal surprises).
2) Hungary (generous ancestry reach, but watch the “proof” layer)
Hungary is often described as having no strict generational cut-off for ancestry-based pathways, but in practice, your success depends on documentation strength and, in some cases, language expectations (even if informal).
Why it’s “easy-ish”:
Potentially deep ancestry reach.
Clear benefit if your family documents are strong.
The 2026 reality check:
The process can become “paperwork heavy” fast if records are scattered across old borders, changed town names, or missing church/civil records.
Best for:
People with Hungarian ancestry and a willingness to treat this like a real documentation project.
3) Poland (powerful, but documentation can be the whole war)
Poland can be very favorable if you can prove the citizenship line didn’t break.
Why it’s “easier” than it looks:
No simple “two-generation only” rule like some countries.
Path exists for many diaspora families.
The 2026 reality check:
“Prove uninterrupted citizenship” is where applicants get stuck—especially with older emigration timelines, war-era displacement, and naturalization in another country.
Best for:
People with strong Polish records and a family line that didn’t naturalize away citizenship before it could be passed.
4) Italy (this is the big 2026 update)
Italy was the legendary “jure sanguinis” giant for years. In 2026, Italy is still a major pathway—but the ground shifted hard.
In 2025, Italy moved to significantly restrict access for many applicants, widely reported as limiting eligibility to those with a parent or grandparent born in Italy (rather than the old “unlimited generations” expectation many people planned around).
What that means in real life:
If your Italian ancestry is great-grandparent level (or further), the path may now be much harder—or not available under the tightened interpretation, depending on your facts and the evolving implementation.
What didn’t change:
Italy still has complexities around historical rules (like pre-1948 maternal line issues) that can require court strategies in some cases.
Best for (in 2026):
People with a parent or grandparent born in Italy who can document the chain cleanly—and who want to move fast and correctly rather than “hope” their case fits old assumptions.
The “Hardest” EU Countries for citizenship by descent
These are the places where the law is narrow, exceptions are limited, and dual citizenship restrictions (or strict transmission rules) can make the path frustrating even when your ancestry is real.
1) Denmark (strict transmission, limited flexibility)
Denmark is famously restrictive. If your Danish connection isn’t parent-to-child in a very clear way, it becomes difficult quickly.
Why it’s hard:
Narrow generational reach.
Less appetite for “multi-generation diaspora claims.”
2) Austria (tight rules + dual citizenship limitations)
Austria remains one of the strictest environments for nationality transmission and dual citizenship.
Why it’s hard:
Typically parent-based transmission only, plus tight dual citizenship acceptance—except for specific historic justice pathways (such as descendants of Nazi persecution victims).
3) Germany (easier in one way, still strict in another)
Germany made a major modernization move in recent years—including broader acceptance of dual citizenship, which is huge for many families who previously feared having to give up their original nationality.
But here’s the nuance:
Dual citizenship reforms help a lot for naturalization planning.
Citizenship by descent still often depends on a clear parent-to-child transmission and historic edge cases (including restitution pathways for Nazi-era persecution).
Why it’s still “hard” for many CBD seekers:
If your German ancestry is more distant and the chain is broken, reforms don’t magically rebuild it.
4) Spain (major window closed)
Spain has had special pathways tied to historic memory legislation—but the big headline for 2026 is that the widely-used application window under the Democratic Memory framework has ended (with reporting pointing to the deadline in late October 2025).
Why it’s hard now:
If you missed the window, your options may shift back to narrower, traditional routes (or waiting for future legal changes—if they come).
Best for (in 2026):
People who already submitted within the deadline—and now need to manage follow-ups and documentation cleanly.
The part nobody tells you: “Easy” doesn’t mean “quick”
Even with the friendlier countries, the real-world time sink is usually:
Hunting down vital records (birth/marriage/death) across countries and decades
Apostilles/legalizations + translations
Name mismatch fixes (one missing accent mark can become a real problem)
Consular backlogs (appointments can be the hidden bottleneck)
If you want the “win,” you need to treat it like a project.
My practical advice:
Start with your lineage map (you → parent → grandparent → etc.).
Identify the weak link document first (usually the oldest record or the one from a town archive).
Expect delays and build a tracking system so this doesn’t become a year-long scavenger hunt.
Bonus: “Surprise” countries that offer citizenship by birthplace (jus soli)
This is a different concept—citizenship because you’re born there, not because of ancestry.
Full jus soli (straight birthright citizenship)
These are the classic “born there = citizen” countries (with the usual diplomat exception):
United States (still in place, though politically debated and now appearing in high-profile legal disputes).
Canada (widely understood as unconditional at birth except diplomats)
Also in Latin America, several countries are famously birthright-friendly (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico are often cited as examples). These rules can be powerful for globally mobile families—but always think about second-order effects like:
Future tax implications (the U.S. is the big one)
Dual citizenship rules in the child’s “other” nationality
Paperwork logistics for parents
Europe: mostly conditional birthplace pathways
Europe generally isn’t “born there = citizen immediately” anymore, but some countries offer birthplace + residency/status conditions that can be meaningful for long-term planners.
Portugal, for example, has been considered one of the more generous EU systems for children born in-country under certain parental legal-residency conditions—but Portugal has also been actively debating and revising immigration and nationality policies in recent years, so it’s a place where you should verify the current rules at the moment you’re planning.
The 2026 takeaway: your “best” country is the one you can prove
People love ranking lists. But here’s the truth:
Your easiest country is the one where your document chain is strongest, your eligibility is cleanest, and the rules haven’t shifted out from under your exact scenario.
And in 2026, that last part matters more than it used to—especially after the high-impact changes reported around Italy’s jure sanguinis access and Spain’s closed application window.